The Future of North Korea

It has been approximately three years since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un succeeded his father Kim Jong-il on December 2011. Although North Korea appears to be stabilizing at a gradual pace under the Kim Jong-un regime, unstable currents still remain as shown from frequent reshuffle of top-ranked military officers since the execution of Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission Jang Sung-taek in December 2013.

Against this backdrop, the Ilmin International Relations Institute of Korea University conducted an expert survey about the “future of North Korea” in May-June 2014. A total of 135 North Korea and security experts including scholars and former government officials from seven countries/regions (South Korea, U.S., China, Japan, Russia, Europe, and others) participated in this survey. The survey results provide us with various strategic implications for the concerned parties surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

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